Naby Keita in contention for Guinea return ahead of AFCON qualifiers

Former Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita could return to the Guinea squad for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Eritrea after nearly three years away from international football.

The 31-year-old, who currently plays for Hungarian club Ferencváros, has not featured for Guinea since their 3-1 defeat by the Democratic Republic of Congo in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in Abidjan.

However, reports in Guinea suggest the former national team captain could be recalled by coach Paulo Duarte for the two Group D matches against Eritrea.

Duarte had opened the door to Keita’s return during the previous international window but opted not to include him in his squad for the opening qualifying fixtures.

Guinea began their campaign with a 2-1 away defeat by South Africa before responding with a 1-0 home victory over Kenya.

The results leave Guinea looking to strengthen their squad as they pursue qualification for the tournament, with Keita’s experience potentially offering an additional option in midfield.

Duarte is expected to announce his squad towards the end of October ahead of the two fixtures.

Guinea will host the first meeting in Conakry on 12 November, with the return match scheduled for 15 November.

Eritrea will have to play their home fixture outside the country because of a lack of suitable facilities. The venue for the match has yet to be confirmed.

They hosted South Africa in Cairo last month, with the Egyptian capital serving as their adopted home ground for the qualifying campaign.